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Mr. Edwards Letters for February 2008 |
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The Expense of Ignorance
Friday, February 29, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Smart Ones!
Have you seen the commercial where this young guy goes into an employment agency looking for a job? He sits down and the lady across from him has a six-inch thick binder with thousands of job possibilities. She is ready to thumb through it and help him, but first she asks, “You have your high school diploma, right?” He responds with a negative and all of a sudden the thousands of job opportunities get reduced to one. The lady tries to put a bright spin on it by saying that it is in advertising. In the next scene, the guy is standing on a street corner in a chicken outfit.
Another commercial on a similar note takes place in a nice store. A guy walks in to purchase a wallet. Two oriental employees talk to each other in their own language. They are basically laughing at the guy wanting a wallet because he didn’t finish high school and therefore would not need a very big wallet. He was destined to make less money than those who obtain their high school diploma.
The statistic shown at the end of both commercials is the same. High school dropouts make 40% less than those who graduate from high school. That means that for every dollar a high school graduate earns; a high school drop out only makes 60 cents. If a high school graduate makes $1,000 dollars a month, a high school drop out only makes $600. That $400 dollar difference is big in one month; it is even bigger if you look at the whole picture. That’s a $4,800 difference in one year and a $48,000 difference in one decade. That’s a costly difference for those not getting a high school diploma. Getting a high school diploma doesn’t start in high school. It started in elementary school and continues now. Your decisions now, this year, make a direct impact on your potential to obtain that high school diploma.
It’s all stated very clearly in these words from Derek Bok. Listen to them closely.
“If you think education is expensive—try ignorance.”
The difference in earning power only starts with a high school diploma. A person starting work now with a college degree makes 70% more income over their lifetime than the person with a high school diploma. You don’t have to use your math skills to recognize that the numbers between a college graduate and a high school drop out are phenomenal when it comes to earning power. Let’s put it in hard numbers. If the average income for a high school graduate is $30,000 a year, the college graduate will be $51,000, and unfortunately, the person that doesn’t get a high school diploma would have an income of only $18,000 a year.
I challenge you to avoid the expense of ignorance and grab all of the education you’re able to get over your public school life. Make the most of every moment you’re in school, and find learning in everything you do.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
A Quiet Explosion
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Writers!
When you were younger kids, did you ever read the book Where the Wild Things Are? Maurice Sendak, author and illustrator of the book, was born in 1928. The book was published when he was sixty years old, although he had been a writer and illustrator all of his adult life. When he talks about his childhood, he says, “I was a miserable kid.” He explains in interviews that much of the time he was sickly and confined indoors, only able to watch other kids play outside without him through a window. So he would find escape sometimes in drawing and books and his own imagination. Although he did read books like what you think when you hear the word “book,” he loved most to read comic books, especially those that featured Disney characters. Keep in mind this would have been the characters in the 1930’s and early 1940’s.
Although his books and illustrations are popular, there have been plenty of people that have criticized his work. Some of his critics think that kids aren’t ready for his ideas and images yet. Some of them don’t like the way that he has helped kids explore their feelings through his books, and I suppose that some are right when they say some of his drawings scare young kids. He has used writing to examine his own childhood and he says that all of his illustrations have some connection with the kids he used to watch outside his windows when he was sick. He has a very simple thought about what writing is. Listen carefully to his words.
“Writing is a little like a quiet explosion in your head.”
All of the 8th graders had a writing exercise last week that the state of Oklahoma required. They all experienced being given a writing prompt and then be given time to respond with their best off-the-cuff writing. Every one’s performance score will reflect on the entire school when the results come back to us in June. The teachers all felt pretty good about how our students might have done. Having the skill to write is important for all of us. I know that all students in this building are quite capable of expressing their thoughts clearly on paper, if the effort is genuine. That’s why I encourage all students to make the sincere effort to do their best when the opportunity presents itself, like on an assignment or a test. I challenge you to let your writing be quiet little explosions in your head. We had an example of amazing students being recognized as writers on Tuesday morning. Sequoyah had five students win in the Oklahoma City National Memorial’s Essay Contest. In the sixth grade we had Zavier Ramsey and Tressa Gould receive recognition from the State Legislature. In the 7th and 8th grade category we had Elise Heigle, Karlyn Willis, and Carrie Funderburk recognized by the same governing body. We are quite proud of their accomplishment.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Brother, Sister or Friend
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Generous Ones!
Every year I get quotes, ideas and stories from students in passing. I might be standing in the hallway or outside at the bus crosswalk or sitting at my desk. It never fails though that students get their ideas to me. Listen to this story given to me by one the students here at Sequoyah a few weeks back.
Once, not too long ago, a man was leaving his church and he saw a beautiful brand new navy blue Lincoln Continental. He asked the friend getting into the car how he came by such a fantastic looking vehicle. The friend said that his older brother was a very wealthy man and had purchased for him a new car for his birthday. The Lincoln Continental was fully loaded with all of the extras. It was a dream car, just given to him as a simple gift. A few days later, the man was leaving his office to get into his new car and found a young boy standing by it. The kid was obviously a child of the streets, but he was looking over the car with attuned interest. He asked, “Mister, is that your car?” The man replied that it certainly was his. “How much did it cost?” he questioned. “Why, it didn’t cost me a thing,” said the man. “My older brother gave it to me.” “You mean,” stammered the boy, “your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing!” “That’s right,” said the man. “My brother gave it to me and it didn’t cost me anything.” “Wow,” said the boy, “I wish. . .”
And the man said he knew what the boy was going to wish. He was going to wish that he had a brother who would give him a car like that. But that isn’t what the boy said. What he said was this: “I wish. . . I wish I could be a brother like that!”
The kid, even in his status of living and surviving on the streets, recognized the truth about giving. Listen to this quote that you have heard many times that reinforces the kid’s wish.
“It is better to give than to receive.”
What the kid saw was that it would be a greater feeling of satisfaction to be able to give a car like that to someone, than it would be to receive one. He understood that if a person had the means to be such a giver that the best choice was to offer that kind of charity in love. What about you? Would you rather be able to give that kind of gift or be the recipient of it? Our answers to that question tell a ton about us.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Red Marbles
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Altruistic Ones!
Listen to this story that a former teacher sent me.
I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me. “Hello Barry, how are you today?” “Hello, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus’ admirin’ them peas. They sure look good.” “They are good, Barry. How’s your Ma?” “Fine. Gittin’ stronger alla’ time.” “Good. Anything I can help you with?” “No, Sir. Jus’ admirin’ them peas.” “Would you like to take some home?” asked Mr. Miller. “No, Sir. Got nuthin’ to pay for’em with.” “Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?” “All I got’s my prize marble.” “Is that right? Let me see it,” said Miller. “Here ‘tis. She’s a dandy.” “I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red like this at home?” the store owner asked. “Not zackley, but almost.” “Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble,” Mr. Miller told the boy. “Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller!”
Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, “There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn’t like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.”
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.
Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.
Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts. . . all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband’s casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband’s bartering marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.
“Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim ‘traded’ them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size . . . they came to pay their debt.”
“We’ve never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,” she confided, “but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho.” With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
When thinking about this story remember this quote:
“We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.”
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Jumping to Conclusions
Monday, February 25, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Wise Ones,
Have you ever jumped to the wrong conclusion about something or someone? It doesn’t take much, just a little misinterpreted information and a wrong hunch, and then “poof!” wrong conclusion. Let me give you an example from my own life.
During my senior year in high school, our track team was pretty good. We had several of us make it to the Southern California CIF Sectional Championships. It was for most of us, one meet away from qualifying to the State Meet. Like most schools, we traveled on a small budget, so our lodging was usually at a Motel 6 or similar establishment. That was around the time that rooms really were just six dollars a night.
We had checked in and found out who we were rooming with and were getting set to go get some grub. We were fast food fanatics by choice because the meals were our own expense. Most of us gathered down by the Motel 6 office, but we left one friend, Bill McCashen, in the room. He had this thing about doing a hundred pushups before each meal he had. He always did them at lunch everyday at school. He did them at home before his breakfast and his dinner, and so he wanted to do them then.
We waited and waited for him to get down stairs from the room. After about ten minutes a couple of us went to the room and walked in through the open door. Bill was on the floor, the back of his head was gashed open, he was bleeding and he wasn’t moving. Our first thought was that someone had come in and slugged Bill over the head, knocking him out and robbing him. We were trying to call the police when Bill came to and sat up slowly and asked what had happened. We told him that he had been robbed. He checked and said, “No, I have my wallet.” He looked inside it and saw that he still had his money. We asked him what he remembered. He said that he had finished his hundred pushups and jumped up and couldn’t remember anything after that.
We got him a cold compress for his head and cleaned him up. The gash was going to need stitches. After talking with him some more, we figured out what happened. Can you guess? Here’s the truth. He was pumping his way through his 100 pushups and jumped up into the television hanging from the ceiling. The metal bracket knocked him out and sliced his head open. Being high school guys we went to eat before we took Bill to an ER for the 12 stitches he received. Listen to words that many people have said.
“Be careful about jumping to conclusions, things may not be what they appear to be.”
Our immediate conclusion with Bill was wrong. No one hit him on the head. He created his own problem. If we had continued on our line of thought, we would have had the police there, and we would have been filing a false report.
I encourage you to gather all the necessary information before drawing a conclusion. Don’t jump to wrong conclusions; they will lead to wrong decisions.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
What Is Faith?
Friday, February 22, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Great and Loyal Students!
Eight years ago this June, I had a wonderful first time experience. I was 44 years old and had never flown anywhere. The closest I had ever been to flying was jumping off the roof of our house when I was a kid. The opportunity just never presented itself and I didn’t have the desire to fly. I have always enjoyed driving to wherever I was going, but on this particular occasion someone else was paying for me to fly to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. As we were moving out to the runway, I thought this is no different than driving. Unfortunately the runway didn’t go all the way to Orlando, and I knew there was more to it as the jet picked up speed. Before long I could feel the nose of the jet lift and then very definitely the whole jet airliner was off the surface of the planet. I had faith that what happened would happen. I had faith that I would be okay. I had faith that the pilot knew what he was doing. What is faith?
An old scripture explains faith this way, please listen to it closely:
“Now faith is being sure what we hope for and certain what we do not see."
My faith in a very practical sense on that day in June was that the airliner would lift off the ground and fly safely with me in it. I hoped that it would despite the fact that I did not understand how it was going to do it. I was certain that although I had never experienced it in my past; that physics would do what they were suppose to do. The plane flew to my destination and I had a great time.
Faith is something that is a choice. Sometimes it is based on evidence seen and sometimes it is not. I have faith that the sun will rise on the horizon every morning because it has done so for over 52 years of my life, morning after morning. It is evidence that I have seen. A more difficult issue is that I have faith that something very specific will happen to me when I die, but I only have unseen evidence to base it on. Yet I will stand by faith that I know what will happen.
When you reflect on life’s experiences, you can’t help but think about faith and hope and what you believe about everyday life. I encourage you to listen to your mind and heart.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
The Crow and the Pitcher
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Determined Ones!
A few times over the last couple of years I have shared one of Aesop’s fables. Here is another one today. If this reminds you of a previous story that I shared with you let me know today or tomorrow.
There was once a large black crow that was very thirsty and she had flown many miles looking for water. From a distance the crow spotted a large pitcher of water on a table outside a home’s back door. When she flew down to it she saw that it did contain some water and the crow immediately tried to get at it, but it was impossible to reach down into the pitcher. She decided that she must have that water because she was too tired to fly anywhere else looking for more. Her first thought of how to get the water was to knock the pitcher over. She beat the container with her wings, but it was too heavy and it did not tip over. She then decided that she would break the container and so she hammered at it with her beak and scratched at it with her sharp claws, but to no avail. The pitcher was too strong and still held the wonderful water that the crow desired so much.
The crow sat and wondered what she could do now. She did not want to die of thirst so close to water that would save her. She knew that there had to be a way to get that water if only she had the intelligence to figure it out.
After sitting there thinking the problem through she got a wonderful, brilliant idea. The crow saw many small stones lying around on the ground. She picked them up one at a time and placed them inside the pitcher. As she did so, the water rose towards the top of the container. At last the water was high enough and she drank some of it. It tasted so good to her. She ended up drinking until it she was content.
Listen to this quote that describes what happened in this fable.
“When there is a determined will combined with sensible intelligence all problems can be solved."
Please keep these words in mind when you find yourself with a problem. My daughter reminded me at lunch last Sunday that I had been kind enough to have only one rule when she and her brother were kids living at home. That one rule was an imperative statement. I asked that they always “think.” I have always believed that if people take the time to think then they would eliminate most problems and difficulties in their lives. Please keep the quote in mind and I encourage you to “think.”
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Fairness Re-Examined
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Mighty Ones!
I heard a great story one day on the radio that I think would make an exciting topic of discussion with middle school students. I wish there was a way that I could find out what you guys think about it. Listen to this bit of news.
In Finland, the traffic laws have always been based on the fact that the violators need to be hurt and punished. Not physically hurt, but pained in the wallet. Therefore the fines are hefty and there is a sharp curve to them. The more money that you make the more the fine will be. When a Finnish person gets pulled over by the police, the first thing the police do is put the car tag in the computer or radio it in. The officer is then given an annual income from the last year’s tax papers for the individual in the car. Then he puts the information into a formula. If they make a little bit of money they get fined a little bit, but if they make a great deal of money then they can expect a huge fine.
Not too long ago, they set a new record for a speeding fine. The CEO for Nokia cell phones was speeding on a motorcycle. He was going 48 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone. The officer checked the information in the computer. He saw that the man made an extraordinary salary each year. That previous year was a great year for Nokia and the man had experienced a big increase in income. The police officer put the information in the formula that he was required to use. Do you want to guess what the fine was? Do you think it was $500? How about $1,000? You wouldn’t believe $10,000 would you? If you do, well it’s way too low. The man’s fine for driving 18 miles per hour over the speed limit was $103,000. Do you think that got his attention? Did it put a pain in his wallet? The Finnish police and government believe so. My important question to you is, is it fair? Should he have to pay that much because he happens to make more money than almost anyone else? I can see arguments on both sides, but the law will override any argument unless the law changes.
It reminds me of a great short story by Shirley Jackson called “The Lottery.” Most of you will read it in high school or college. The final setting has a woman yelling about the decision a town makes. This passage has her final words.
“It isn’t fair, it isn’t right,” Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her.
Sometimes it is just the way things are, and you can’t do anything about fairness if people or the law dictate that it is right. If you see me today, tell me if you think the big fine in Finland was fair or not.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Inspirational Story
Monday, February 18, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Cougars!
This story was in the USA TODAY newspaper for this last weekend. I enjoyed it and thought that it was story that most of you would enjoy as well. It was written by reporter Jim Halley. Listen carefully.
Ryan Kocer (pronounced coach-er) has wrestled his way to three South Dakota high school titles. Big-time programs such as Nebraska and Missouri sent letters. Last August 25, though, the 17-year-old from the Great Lakes region of the state was pinned by an opponent he couldn’t handle—a two ton pickup and lost a leg.
Kocer, who also played football for Wagner High School, had run for two touchdowns the previous day in a 35-0 win against Miller Area in the first game of the season. To help celebrate the big win the next night, he decided to hang out with his friends in a parking lot in town.
“I said, ‘Well, it’s kind of late,’” says his father, Don. “And he stayed home.”
But his friends called again, and Kocer decided to sneak out. Not to wake his parents, Kocer put his Ford 250 pickup in neutral and pushed it down the driveway. When it began to get away from him and headed for a grain bin, he tried to stop it by pushing back. Kocer slipped on the dewy grass and was pinned between the truck and grain bin. When the truck rocked backward, he rolled away. The vehicle’s weight had broken the tibia in his right leg and crushed the kneecap of his left.
He tried calling the house with his cell phone, but the service was spotty. He crawled to the truck and honked the horn to wake his parents, in bed a quarter mile away. They drove him to a nearby hospital, and he was taken by helicopter to Sioux Falls. After ten hours of surgery, his left foot was gone because of lack of blood flow. Doctors put a rod in his right leg.
One of the first questions Kocer asked doctors was whether he could wrestle again. His parents just wondered if he would live. Three days after the accident, doctors realized that they couldn’t save Kocer’s lower left leg and amputated up to the mid shin. Four days after that, his leg was amputated just above the knee.
The Kocers stayed with their son while friends and family took turns caring for the other three children. Several benefits were held to raise money for the hospital bills. An English teacher at Wagner, Sue Morrell, sent Kocer a note, reminding him what he had written before the accident: “I don’t have one thing specifically that I am proud of, but I think that I am extraordinarily proud that I can do anything I want if I want it bad enough.”
“I can do anything I want, if I want it bad enough.”
Two weeks after the accident Kocer left the hospital in a wheelchair. By mid-October, his right leg could bear enough weight that he could wear a prosthetic leg and get around with crutches. Within weeks, the crutches were gone. When wrestling practice began in November, Kocer was there as an observer. Before long he was practicing with the team, trying to figure out how he would adapt.
“Right away, I was hopeful. It didn’t happen as quickly as I thought it would,” he says of returning to wrestling. Instead of his 171-pound class, he wrestled at 152, minus his prosthetic leg. His first meet was January 5 in a national tournament in Rochester, Minnesota. “It was a pretty good experience. I was pretty nervous.”
He won his first match and finished 3-1 at the tournament. In the weeks since he has wrestled well. But because of the pain, he can’t always wrestle two weeks in a row.
Kocer earned a trip to the regional meet by finishing second in the District 5B meet last weekend in Tyndall. If Kocer, ranked No. 4, can finish in the top four this weekend in the regional meet, he will get another trip to the state meet.
I found this article was inspirational as it told about a winning spirit in a remarkable young man. He walked his own talk. Remember the last few words of the essay he had written for the English class. Listen to them again and see if you can apply them in your own life.
“I can do anything I want, if I want it bad enough.”
I challenge you to adopt that attitude and spirit. I also challenge you to look on line and see if you can find out how he did this last weekend. Find out if Ryan Kocer moved on to the wrestling state championships. Let me know what you discover.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Discipline Always All Ways
Friday, February 15, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Disciplined Ones!
It seems like Clint Eastwood has been around forever. When I was a kid he was on a black and white television show in the early 1960’s called “Rawhide.” His character was a tough young cowboy named Rowdy. He got involved in feature length movies in the mid-sixties and was the star of a series of westerns produced by Italian filmmakers. People nicknamed the movies “Spaghetti Westerns.” In the 1970’s, he portrayed a tough San Francisco police officer named Harry Callahan or otherwise known as “Dirty Harry.” He also began directing movies, as well as, star in them. He has made and acted in over fifty movies. In the 1980’s, he took time away from Hollywood to be mayor of Carmel, California. His last Oscar winning movie, “Million Dollar Baby,” had him starring as a trainer of a female boxer. He enjoyed starring in it and his bonus was that he received the Academy Award three years ago as its director. He not only has tried to continually improve his acting life and the type of movies he makes, but he has also made every attempt to become a new and improved well-rounded person. Listen to these few words that explain a little of what he believes.
“As we grow older, we must discipline ourselves to continue expanding, broadening, learning, keeping our minds active and open.”
How does he go about directing his improvement and growth as a person? He does this through self-discipline. Being a disciplined person means that you are in command of yourself. It means that you have mastery over your decision-making, and a disciplined person will have great willpower and show restraint in all occasions.
When he says, “As we grow older” he is meaning any of us at any age. We must discipline ourselves to expanding, broadening, and learning. He encourages us to keep our minds active and open. He would probably say that no one younger than him should have the right to close their mind. If he did say that, it would cover every person in this building.
I challenge you to discipline yourself, and do it daily. I encourage you make the decision and the effort to be a well-rounded and constantly improved person.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Love Means
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Happy Valentine’s Day, Sequoyah Terrific Ones!
From a guy’s perspective, one of the all time corniest movies made was based on a book by Erich Segal. It was called Love Story. It was about a New England Harvard guy falling in love with a young college woman. From a gal’s perspective, most of them thought it was the most romantic story to ever hit the press and then become a story on the big screen. I can remember the theme song being played over and over on the radio. From a guy’s perspective, it was gag me with a wooden spoon. From a gal’s perspective, it was hold me tight and never let me go. I remember seeing it in the theater and watching these two people in the movie in love playing in the snow in the middle of the Harvard football field and hearing a woman comment about how much fun it would be to be in love like that. Guys would have rather been watching a football game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants in the snow or even playing a game themselves in the snow. I will say that it has a sad ending and to this day people that have seen it a thousand times will still cry if they see it again. It did have a great line in it that is even in Barclay’s Book of Famous Quotations.
Listen to the words made famous by the movie.
“Love means never having to say you’re sorry.”
Today is a day that people focus on love and what it means in relationships. Love is not only for the romantic people. Love is much greater than just feelings. It is an idea or concept. It is a decision. What does the dictionary say about the word? It defines love as an intense affectionate concern for another person. What kind of concern? Intense. Affectionate. A love that is intense is focused, attentive, and a priority. A love that is affectionate is kind, caring and helpful. Some people would say that for an intense affectionate concern for another person to be love, it would require that person to be willing to sacrifice his or her own interest for the interest of the other person.
A love that never requires a person to say you’re sorry is one that is always thinking of the other person so much that they never do anything that requires an apology. Do you love anyone that much? Do you love a parent or a sibling or a friend that much? I hope so.
By the way if you have never seen that 1970’s movie, you ought to view it at least once in your life.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
We Don’t Have to Be a Castaway!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Caregivers!
One of the great movies made during your lifetime was Castaway. I am sure that most of you have seen it on television or videotape or DVD. Tom Hanks stars as a Federal Express trouble shooter. He fixes problems with their delivery time and efficiency. He was at a point in his life that he was successful in work and he was in love with the girl of his dreams. She was his best friend as well. Unfortunately, his life was redirected by a tragic plane crash that left him stranded on an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean. He fought the elements of nature to survive. His focus on the pocket watch picture she had given him helped him exist for six years. His hope and desire was to survive to be with her again.
He did survive, alone and patient as six years time went by. He didn’t wait for someone to find him. He finally found a way to beat the wave line and current. He left the security of the island for the potential of the future.
Those of you who have seen the movie know that a crew on an oil tanker eventually rescued him in the middle of the ocean. He looked forward to reuniting with the woman he had missed so dearly. Again he faced an unfortunate tragedy in his life. She had accepted that he was not returning and had perished and she had married someone else. The man felt like he had lost her a second time. I would imagine that most people seeing the movie the first time wanted the couple to be together again forever. But that wasn’t the story that life had given the people. And although the character that Tom Hanks portrayed could have given up on life, he realized something. He knew there was something else planned for him. Listen to what he said to a friend at the end of the movie.
“I know what I have to do now, I gotta keep breathing, because tomorrow the sun will rise, who knows what the tide will bring!”
The man did not have to be a castaway on the island and he left for the future possibilities. He also knew that he didn’t have to be a castaway to life and chose to move forward and accept the potential future that was his to receive. If people reflected on the movie, they couldn’t help but see that all of us have the same choice about life. We don’t have to be by ourselves on an island of our own making.
My advice and my challenge to you is to watch the tide. Who knows what the tide will bring?
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Prepare for the Chance
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Prepared Ones!
Today has always been a significant birth date for me. February 12 marks the 199th year since Abraham Lincoln was born. Some students and teachers may know that the 16th President of the United States has always been my favorite. To me, he climbed the furthest distance to hold the greatest office in the land, and then once he got there, he had the most difficult task ever to accomplish. He was given the complicated duty of holding our country together in an ugly, costly Civil War.
According to my memory, I first learned of Abraham Lincoln from a book purchased for me when I was six years old. It was mostly pictures, but it built this ordinary farm boy from a life of poverty and ignorance into a kid that loved to read and learn. This love of learning helped him in his pursuit of the law. He was self-educated. It was as a lawyer that he first saw that he could impact the lives of others positively with his gift of intellect, and that the field of politics was the stage to influence the most people in a beneficial way. His learning started in a one-room schoolhouse for just a couple months a year. He didn’t have a high school education and did not attend college or take any university law classes. He learned by reading and reflecting on well-written books. He couldn’t afford to purchase books, but was willing to walk miles to borrow one from an educated friend. He borrowed books like Robison Crusoe, Aesop’s Fable, A History of the United States, and Pilgrim’s Progress. After studying the law from books for a few years and after receiving a license, he started to practice the profession. Remember he was a lawyer that did not go to public schools or a university.
His desire to learn was an act of preparation for his future. He had no idea how important he was going to be for our nation in its first century of existence. And I am not sure during his presidency he understood how important he was. Only now looking back on his life in history, do we get the right perspective. His decision-making to try and preserve the Union at all costs, has made our lives what they are today. If the Confederacy had not been challenged, our world would probably be different. The land area of the current United States might actually be 6 or 7 different countries now. Oklahoma might be a third world country of its own, left out of the others. Abe Lincoln was important to the history of the U.S., and yet, he almost didn’t win the election.
Listen, Abraham Lincoln lost more election races than he won, but he always worked at being ready for winning. He wasn’t a rich man, ever, but he was prepared to work for his family’s livelihood. He lived with these words in mind as he tried to improve his lot in life.
“I will prepare and someday my chance will come.”
Are you approaching your schooling preparing for a chance? I challenge you to prepare in all ways for the day your chance will come. Prepare for your chance.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Our Business Is Learning
Monday, February 11, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Great Learners!
One of the biggest mistakes that we make about the purpose of going to school is thinking that it is a place dedicated to teaching. It’s not. Our business, whether we are students or we’re teachers, is learning. What is the definition of learning? Learning is education. It is acquired wisdom, knowledge, or skill. Sequoyah is a community of learners. We have almost a thousand students ages 11-14 years old, and we have nearly 100 adult students ages 21 and up. All of us are in the business of learning.
We all need to become more familiar with information in general, but we also need to keep an acute awareness of what we don’t know. Everyday we increase our understanding of things through chosen experiences and presented experiences in school. Sure the formal approach to learning can tell us what students will learn in science during their eighth grade year for example, but the informal learning that comes with having different teachers and different classmates is an opportunity to gain additional knowledge.
When a kid is in my office for some trouble, I eventually may ask the question, “Why are you in school?” I know the answer is “I am here to learn.” But usually when a student gets that question from me it is because there are several factors. One factor is that he or she has probably been to my office several times. Another factor is that he or she more than likely has poor grades caused by missing assignments. And maybe the most important factor is that he or she has lost the sense of caring about their learning. He is apathetic towards it. She really doesn’t care any more. Even though he knows the true answer is “I am here to learn,” he believes that he is at Sequoyah because the law requires it of him.
Listen to this anonymous quote.
“To teach is to learn.”
When you teach a friend a skill, you are also learning. A learning experience is not one sided; it is a shared experience. I have watched kids teach other kids often. It usually happens when they are studying together for a test. Sometimes it is simply tutoring. When the student doing the tutoring is helping another person, he or she is actually learning the material better. A teacher preparing a lesson is learning more by working through the preparation.
To teach is to learn. Remember this is true whether you’re a 12-year-old student or a 28-year-old teacher or a 39-year-old parent or even a 53-year-old principal. We are all learners! Our business is learning!
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Touching Spirit Bear
Friday, February 8, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Insightful Ones!
Today’s letter is one that I have used three times in the last ten years.
Many times, I have read this wonderful book; this year I am reading it with a friend. Together we are looking at Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. Mr. Mikaelsen visited our school six years ago this month. In this book, a teenager gets banished to an isolated Alaskan Island for one year rather than going to jail for several years. Listen to this excerpt from Touching Spirit Bear: Edwin stopped beside a long rocky slope that rose several hundred feet to their right above the shallow valley. On their left the stream flattened out into a large, calm, crystal-clear pond. Upstream about a hundred yards, the stream gushed through a rock gorge, calming as it flowed into the still pool. “We’re going swimming,” said Edwin, dropping his small pack to the ground. He slipped off his jacket and shirt. “Are you nuts?” exclaimed Cole. “It’s freezing!” “Trust me,” said Edwin. “To do what kill ourselves?” Edwin kept stripping. “Half of being trusted is to trust.” He reached down and picked up a thin stick. Cole eyed the stick warily as Edwin waded out into the clear pond. Hesitantly, he removed his clothes, glancing again at Edwin, who had already swum over and seated himself chest-deep on a rock ledge across the pond. Edwin’s eyes were closed, and he held the small stick against his shoulder patiently. He breathed deliberately as if unaware of the cold. Slowly, Cole waded in, gasping as the icy water rose around his chest. He held his breath as he pushed off the bottom and swam the last twenty feet. “Cripes, it’s cold!” he exclaimed as he pulled himself up beside Edwin on the underwater rocks. Edwin remained still, eyes closed. Cole hugged his arms to his chest, but couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering. The water nearly covered his shoulders. He felt stupid and vulnerable. What was he doing a million miles from nowhere, sitting in a freezing pond beside a bizarre Tlingit (Kling-kit) Indian with a stick? “What’s the stick for?” he asked loudly. Edwin opened his eyes as if coming out of a sleep. Calmly, he held up the stick. “The right end of this stick is your happiness, the left end is your anger,” Edwin said. He handed the stick to Cole. “Break off the left end and get rid of your anger.” Shivering, Cole took the stick in his fists and broke off one side. Edwin shook his head. You broke off the left end, but a left end still exists. Go ahead, break it off again.” Again, Cole broke the stick, and again Edwin shook his head. “Why did you leave the left end on the stick when I asked you to break it off?” “That’s stupid,” Cole muttered. “The left end will always be there.” Edwin nodded. “People spend lifetimes breaking their stick to get rid of anger. But always anger remains, and they think they’ve failed.” “So if I can’t ever get rid of my anger, why even try?” Cole asked. Edwin reached and took the remaining piece of stick from Cole’s hand. His fingers toyed with the wood as he looked up at the sunrise that had begun to glow warmly over the trees. Then he glanced over his shoulder at the dark storm clouds that hung menacingly on the opposite horizon. He waved the stick. “Is the sky sunny, or is it stormy?” he asked. Cole looked both ways and shrugged. “Depends on which way you look.” “If you looked only at the clouds, what would you say?” “Stormy.” “Yes, and what would you say if you looked only at the sunrise?” Cole’s body had grown numb from the icy water, and his teeth chattered uncontrollably. “Sunny,” he grunted impatiently. Edwin waved the stick in a circle. “The sky, this stick, life, it’s all the same. It’s what you make of it. What you focus on becomes reality. Everybody carries anger inside. But also happiness. Those who focus on anger will always be angry. Those who focus on happiness will—” “I don’t have choice,” Cole interrupted, speaking almost desperately. “I can’t help it. I don’t go to bed and decide I’m going to stay awake tonight to be mad.” “Have you been angry since you entered this pool today?” “No,” said Cole. “Cause I’m freezing my rear off.” Edwin smiled. “When I was banished to this island, I came to this pond to get rid of my anger. It gave—” “You just said you can’t get rid of anger,” Cole argued. “This pond gave me a choice. I could focus on the left end or the right end of the stick. I could focus on the sunrise or the dark clouds. It was my choice.” “So, unless I go somewhere and freeze every morning, I’ll keep getting mad, huh?” Edwin smiled but shook his head. “You only look at the left end of the stick and at the cloudy sky now because your experiences in life have made that a habit. Happiness, like anger, is also a habit. You learn to be happy one day at a time. But habits change hard. This pond will help you.” “What do I do in the winter?” Cole asked. Edwin wrinkled his forehead. “Winter will be the hardest. Weather is bad, days short, the fire warm, and the stream too bitter to soak. You’ll find yourself wanting to stay inside beside the fire where it’s easy for your anger to fester like a Devil’s Club thorn. You’ll stare into the flames and remember bad times. In the winter, you’ll need to find other ways of looking at the right end of the stick.” Cole felt himself growing dizzy from the cold and was about to protest when Edwin stood and headed to shore. Gladly, Cole followed. On shore, Edwin pulled out towels for each of them, they dressed in silence. Cole noticed that much of the stiffness and pain had left his joints. Even his arm felt better. He turned to Edwin. “You know, the stuff you just told me makes more sense than all the weird things counselors and psychologist have told me in school and at the detention center.” Edwin tapped Cole’s shoulder with the broken stick. “That’s because those people still think you can get rid of the left end of the stick.”
“Remember, what you focus on becomes reality. Everybody carries anger inside. But also happiness. Those who focus on anger will always be angry. Those who focus on happiness will always be happy.”
I encourage you to read this book. It’s a wonderful story. My question after this excerpt is, “What end of the stick do you focus on the most?”
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
It Never Happened
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Students!
What do you worry about? Most of us would agree that worrying does not profit us in any way. I have even written a couple of letters about the uselessness of worry. I try not to worry very often, but I confess that I do have one consistent, persistent worry. That big worry is the other driver. I always tell my wife and kids and other family to drive defensively. I know I do that because I worry about the other driver on the road. I even tell my friends to watch the other driver. Why do I do that? Because we have to trust people controlling machines that weigh thousands of pounds, and most of the people we trust are complete strangers.
I know that I shouldn’t worry, but I don’t know if the person driving the vehicle at my family or friends is angry or focused. I have no idea if the person is sober or if the driver of the oncoming car has been drinking. The driver coming down the road may be inexperienced. The driver may be trying to eat a hamburger and fries while trying to get somewhere late. The person could be arguing with someone over a cell telephone. The person may be a teenager distracted by a car full of friends joking around. All of these reasons seem like good excuses to worry. I never worry about a driver coming at me because I believe that I am paying enough attention for both of us to avoid an accident, but I do worry about drivers moving towards a car driven by my family or friends. That’s why I always tell them to drive defensively. But with all of the worrying that I have done, not one of my family members have been hurt by an oncoming driver, nor have any of my close friends been hurt. I have worried about them and nothing has happened. So what causes the worry to continue? It’s the knowledge that the potential for an accident is there. It’s because I see that those kinds of accidents do happen when they make the news, and I was witness to one, in person, that was fatal. Listen to what Winston Churchill said about worrying.
“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of an old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of troubles in his life, most of which never happened.”
Most of the old man’s troubles never happened. We have to be careful about how much time we spend worrying, especially when what we fear will happen, never really does happen. I remind myself often that maybe I have nothing to worry about. I still want to remind people to drive defensively, in other words, watch for the other drivers. No matter who drives a car, the age doesn’t matter; the driver must give attention to what the other drivers are doing.
Remember, most of what we worry about just never happens. Control your worries. Don’t let them control you.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Settling for Too Little
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Strong Ones!
Once upon a time there was a middle school kid that wanted to go to Disneyland. He dreamed about the day that he could arrive in Anaheim, California, and buy his pass and walk through the gates of the world’s best family amusement park.
That day came. He spent a large sum of money to just gain entrance to the park with the pass. When he walked through the gates he saw beautiful flowers on a small slope in front of the Disney Railway’s Main Street Station. He was awed with the flower arrangement in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Right there in front of the beautiful gardening was a plaque with these words, “Welcome to Disneyland! It is the happiest place in the world.” This middle school kid was excited about finally being at Disneyland. He saw a wonderfully designed park bench and he sat down. He sat there with a big smile on his face and watched more people of all ages come through the gates and enter the park. They walked by him and ventured under the train tunnels and into the rest of the park where the rides and amusement activities were. He sat contentedly on the bench and watched the morning drift by into the afternoon. After buying a Coke from a vendor whose cart was near the plaque, he sat back in his spot and watched the sun go down and the lights of the park come on. They were beautiful and complimented the sound of the people and the background music and made everything seem even more magical around him.
Around nine o’clock, he noticed that the flow of people was reversed and families left the park. He chose to get up from his bench around midnight and leave the happiest place in the world.
What was wrong with his visit to Disneyland? He was satisfied with just being there. He could have experienced so much more if he had simply decided to participate in what the amusement park had to offer. It offered exciting rides and yet he chose to ignore them. It offered technological dream shows, but he chose to not see them. It offered a lot more than a simple Coca Cola, but he never searched for anything else. These words from Thomas Merton fit this middle school kid’s experience.
“The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little.”
I have to tell you guys, if you are just showing up at Sequoyah Middle School and coming in the building, and occupying space in a desk, and not doing much more; you’re no different than the kid on the bench in Disneyland.
I encourage you to choose to participate in your education. Seize the opportunity in front of you to learn as much as possible, every single day of your life. Bench sitting is not the way to visit Disneyland and I assure you, it is not the way to go through your educational experience. You have one chance at life. I challenge you to not settle for too little.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
The Immense Need
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Listening Ones!
Have you ever heard this statement? God gave us two ears and one mouth because He wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as He wants us talking. The best doctors and psychologists in the last 100 years all agree on the following words of wisdom. In fact, a world-renowned French doctor, Paul Tournier, said them. Listen carefully.
“It is impossible to overemphasize the immense need human beings have to be really listened to.”
If this is true, then human beings need to be listened to for their psychological well being as much as they need to breathe air for their physical well being. Each of us as individuals, want our ideas to be heard. We want our thoughts to be considered. We want our questions to be answered. We want our comments to be listened to carefully. It is a need that has to be filled in some way. But we should make every effort to listen to another before trying to be heard ourselves.
Sometimes, the best way to be listened to is not oral or auditory. Sometimes it is tied to yesterday’s topic. Sometimes people are heard by writing their thoughts down and having someone read them. This is another good reason to write more. We can still listen to the founding fathers of our country by reading what they wrote. We can listen to long ago relatives, or even recent relatives, by reading something they wrote. When I read a few of the letters my deceased grandmother wrote while I was in college, I am still listening to her.
When we stop our movement and give our full attention to someone as they speak we are stressing that we value what is said. Taking a moment to listen to another person express an idea or share a concern or offer a compliment is giving them worth. It presents an opportunity to treasure the words of another person. When you choose to listen to a friend, you are applying yourself to hear the message that your friend provides. When you listen to your teacher, you are tuning in to an important lesson. When you pay attention to what your father or mother has to say, then it means that you pay heed in a respectful way to what they hold as important.
I challenge you to be a listener first in your communications. Seek first to understand before you try to be understood. If you do this, then you will be helping someone meet his or her immense need to be heard.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
Why Write Letters
Monday, February 4, 2008
Good day, Sequoyah Letter Writers!
I have to be honest with you guys. I have always loved writing letters to others and receiving letters as well. Although I enjoy writing letters to you each week, that habit of writing began a long time ago. The summer after my 6th grade school year, my friend and I decided to spend lazy summer evenings outside on his porch writing letters. We wrote over 300 letters and mailed them all. Stamps were less than a dime, but it was still an expensive hobby. We wrote letters to television stars, to city chambers of commerce, to universities, to world capitals, and to Native American Tribal Councils, and many other people and places. The letters and items we received were amazing sometimes. In fact, I still possess several of them. One example is a hardback book from the mayor of Oslo, Norway with a map of the city and some Norwegian coins. He invited me to visit his city. Why did Allen and I write letters that summer of 1968? We did it because we were interested in other people and in other places. We got to be pretty good friends with the mailman that summer as we waited each day for his arrival and the possibilities that he might bring us. It was exciting! Try to imagine a world without computers and cell phones and all of the technology that makes the world so fast and busy. It was a pleasantly slow world of savoring the relaxing moments of being a kid. I was actually writing without it being assigned to me to do so. Why should any of us write letters or for that matter write anything else? Listen to these words given from writer Bob Bly.
“Write to express, not to impress.”
Another example was when I entered college in 1974, I wrote often to my grandmother. She always replied in her own handwriting. I saved the letters that she wrote me expressing how she felt about her family, her life, and the history that she experienced. She always was willing to give me advice about living a good life. I can pull those letters out now almost 35 years later and read them and remember my grandmother. Another amazing thing was that she had saved my letters that I had sent her, and when she passed away, they were given back to me. A couple of times I have sat and read the correspondence in chronological order and relived the experience.
Why write? You should write to express yourself. It is becoming a lost art with the lack of attention that people are giving it. But you can make sure that it doesn’t happen that way for you. Write as much as you can and as often as you are able to do so. It will be something that you will treasure later on in life, I promise you!
I challenge all of you to listen to Bob Bly’s words and to find time to write. It is a chance to express your grandest ideas, your most valuable thoughts, and your most fond reflections.
With something I would like you to consider and reflect upon, make yours an exceptional life—or not. The greatest power that a person possesses is the power to choose. Please choose wisely.
-Melodic Time- · Mon Jun 16, 2008 @ 04:47am · 0 Comments |
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